News : Listen to Bright Eyes’ “punk rock” and Beastie Boys-inspired new single, ‘Rainbow Overpass’

Bright Eyes are back with a new, punk rock-inspired single ‘Rainbow Overpass’ – check it out below, as well as newly announced US tour dates.

The track marks the latest single that the American indie-rock band have shared from their forthcoming new album ‘Five Dice, All Threes’, which is set to arrive on September 20 via Dead Oceans.

Following on from the lead single ‘Bells & Whistles’, which arrived last month, the latest teaser of the upcoming LP takes a more intense, high-energy approach – utilising the same vigour and intensity of the punk scene.

Propelled by acoustic guitar, horns and unforgettable vocals featuring Alex Orange Drink of The So So Glos, the finished result makes a powerful nod to artists like Beastie Boys.

“Alex and I wrote a lot of the songs together, but ‘Rainbow Overpass’ is the only one he gets [to sing] a verse. He’s kinda like my hype man, getting a little Beastie Boys on the shit,” said frontman Conor Oberst.

“They grew up on punk rock and the Beasties, so there are a lot of little bursts of other voices. I like that. It creates energy. Sometimes music can feel flat until you get into a live situation, when there’s adrenaline and raw energy. Instead of working in reverse, where that happens as we tour, I was trying to get some of that energy onto the record.”

As previously mentioned, the new album is set to arrive next month and will mark the band’s 10th studio album, following on from their 2020 album ‘Down In The Weeds Where The World Once Was’.

As well as Alex Orange Drink, the project will also see guest features from the likes of Cat Power and The National’s Matt Berninger. You can pre-order/pre-save it here.

“Self-produced, and recorded at ARC Studios, in Omaha, Nebraska, Five Dice, All Threes is a record of uncommon intensity and tenderness, communal exorcism and personal excavation. These are, of course, qualities that fans have come to expect from Bright Eyes, nearly three decades into their career,” read a press release for the LP.

“Even with this rich history behind them, these new songs exude a visceral thrill like nothing they have attempted before,” it added. “At times throughout ‘Five Dice, All Threes’, you may feel worried for him; other times, he may seem like the only one with the clarity to get us out of this mess.”

They will perform two UK shows in Wolverhampton and London in November before moving on to various cities in mainland Europe including Nijmegen, Ghent, Cologne, Berlin and Stockholm.

Now, with the release of ‘Rainbow Overpass’, the band have also shared details of a North American tour.

Kicking off and running throughout the start of 2025, the newly announced dates commence in Phoenix, Arizona on January 16. They continue through to April, making stops at Atlanta, Austin, Vancouver, Seattle, Orlando, Memphis, Toronto, St. Louis, Cleveland, Philadelphia and more.

The tour ends with a show in Iowa on April 26. Visit here for US tickets, here for UK tickets, and check below for a full list of upcoming dates.

Bright Eyes’ upcoming tour dates are:

NOVEMBER 2024
10 – Wolverhampton @ UK Wulfrun Hall
11 – London, UK @ O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
12 – Nijmegen @ Netherlands, Doornroosje
13 – Ghent, Belgium @ Ha Concerts
14 – Cologne, Germany @ Carlswerk Victoria
15 – Berlin, Germany @ Tempodrom
16 – Weissenhauser Strand, Germany @ Rolling Stone Beach
18 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Fållan
19 – Oslo, Norway @ Parkteatret

JANUARY 2025
16 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
18 — Del Mar, CA @ The Sound
19 — Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
20 — Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
21 — Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre
23 — Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
24 — Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
25 — Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
26 — Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
26 — Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge
27 — Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater

FEBRUARY
28 — Dallas, TX @ The Factory in Deep Ellum

MARCH
1 — San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theater
2 — Baton Rouge, LA @ Chelsea’s Live
3 — Jacksonville, FL @ Florida Theatre
5 — St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
7 — Orlando, FL @ The Beacham Theater
8 — Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
9 — Knoxville, TN @ The Mill & Mine
10 — Richmond, VA @ The National
13 — Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
14 — Pelham, TN @ The Caverns
17 — Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall
18 — Little Rock, AR @ The Hall
20 — Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
21 — Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater
22 — St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant

APRIL
3 — Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
4 — St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
8 — Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
9 — Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre
10 — Toronto, ON @ History
11 — Buffalo, NY @ Buffalo Riverworks
13 — Portland, ME @ State Theatre
17 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
18 — Boston, MA @ House of Blues
19 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia
20 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem
22 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre
23 — Newport, KY @ MegaCorp Pavilion
24 — Louisville, KY @ Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
25 — Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
26 — West Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom

In other news, Oberst recently instigated a surprise Better Oblivion Community Center reunion with Phoebe Bridgers when she made an appearance at one of his shows in March.

The pair released a self-titled album together in 2019, which they then took out on tour, before the Bright Eyes frontman made an appearance on Bridgers’ 2020 album ‘Punisher’. They hadn’t done anything since, sparking rumours of a change in their relationship.

Now, the pair reunited during a show at LA’s Teragram ballroom, which formed part of Oberst’s ‘Conor Oberst And Friends’ residency tour. They performed three songs together – a rendition of Bright Eyes’ classic ‘Lua’ and their Better Oblivion Community Center song ‘My City’ (for which Bridgers needed a lyric sheet passed over) before they wrapped up the show with a performance of Oberst’s 2014 song ‘Double Life’.